Xiangzi’s Record of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 49: The Rickshaw Yard Council

The pullers and guards all headed to Bianyi Tavern.
Harmony Rickshaw Yard’s gates, rarely closed, were shut tight.
At the entrance, a dim kerosene lamp flickered to life.
“Move along, move along! Fourth Master has business tonight—no deals!”
A few errand boys shooed away the third-class pullers waiting for carts.
The pullers, scratching their heads, left reluctantly, glancing at the green-lacquered gates with a strange feeling—
Odd, Clearwind Street’s stingiest Fourth Liu skipping business?
What big trouble’s brewing at Harmony Rickshaw Yard?
A crescent moon hung in the sky.
In the front courtyard, candlelight wavered.
Fourth Master Liu, nestled in his grand chair, eyelids drooping, the scar on his cheekbone menacing under the flickering glow.
His cloudy gaze swept over the few before him, his wrist flicking as he said softly, “Speak up about today’s mess!”
Before him, his four adopted sons, rarely gathered, stood in silence.
A graying middle-aged man set down his pipe, saying slowly, “Fourth Master… from what Xiangzi said, this reeks of Ma Liu Rickshaw Yard’s doing!”
“If that’s true…” A glint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. “We strike first!”
The speaker was Liu Quan, nearing fifty, the eldest of the four sons.
Years ago, a feud with Ma Liu’s yard cost him a leg, and age pushed him to the sidelines, now managing the accounts.
This matter was so delicate, only Liu Quan’s detached status dared speak plainly first.
Master Liu nodded, a faint “hm” escaping his teeth, but his gaze shifted to the towering figure in the corner.
“Xiangzi, what’s your take?”
All eyes turned to Xiangzi.
Even Girl Hu’s dark face held a trace of amused curiosity.
Under the candlelight,
Xiangzi’s expression was grave yet calm.
This was his first time at such a high-stakes council. As a junior, he should’ve just listened, but Master Liu called on him first.
The reason lay in today’s ore route events—
He’d faced a tiger demon in the mining zone, saving everyone’s lives.
Against refugees and bandits, his courage and cunning preserved all the five-colored ore.
Most crucially, Xiangzi brought back Fat Four’s body—
evidence
for Harmony Rickshaw Yard!
Whether Ma Liu was tied to the bandits or not, Master Liu could splash the blame on them.
These feats went far beyond a cart leader’s role, unthinkable for a youth like Xiangzi.
Just a month as cart leader, three months ago a mere third-class puller sleeping in the common bunk!
Even Master Liu, hearing of these deeds, initially doubted.
Only when Fat Four’s corpse lay before him did he truly believe.
Among the other sons, only Liu Tang was genuinely happy for Xiangzi; the rest harbored their own thoughts.
Liu Hu’s face was dark as still water. The matter vaguely tied to the dead Skinny Monkey and the missing Jin Fugui—his trusted men—left him speechless.
Who didn’t know they were his lackeys? Liu Hu couldn’t clear his name.
Liu Quan and another son, Liu Yi, acted aloof—years ago, they’d lost influence in the yard.
But looking at Xiangzi, even their seasoned hearts stirred with
a hero born young.
Maybe… Harmony Rickshaw Yard’s getting another son!
At Master Liu’s question, Xiangzi showed no emotion, saying softly, “Fourth Master… I’m just a rough man. I don’t get these big ore route matters. I’ll follow you and Master Tang.”
His words stunned the room.
Fourth Master and Master Tang?
This kid knows how to pick allies, clinging to the yard’s two biggest pillars!
Subtly, all eyes turned to Liu Hu—by Xiangzi’s words, Liu Hu had no say in the ore route anymore!
A mere cart leader, Xiangzi would’ve earned a slap from Liu Hu in normal times.
But now, even Master Liu and the others looked thoughtful.
Liu Hu himself stayed silent, head down.
Not one questioned it.
They’d all seen the scene at the yard’s gate.
Even with Fourth Master present, the second-class pullers treated Xiangzi as their backbone, calling him
“Master Xiang”
.
When Master Liu sent them to Bianyi Tavern, the pullers waited for Xiangzi’s nod before swarming over.
Even Liu Tang’s East Tower guards obeyed Xiangzi meekly.
Who among the sons could match such sway?
This prestige came from Xiangzi’s fairness over months, cemented today—
Facing a tiger demon, exposing Fat Four behind the refugees, then meeting the bandits alone.
Who in Forty-Nine City’s yards could do that?
Three months ago, Xiangzi was just an ordinary man, now breaking the Blood Energy Barrier?
In this world, fists speak loudest!
At Harmony Rickshaw Yard, besides Liu Tang, wasn’t Xiangzi’s fist the strongest?
With Xiangzi’s words, Liu Hu lost all claim to the ore route!
Even Liu Quan and Liu Yi, looking at this young giant, felt a strange stir—
Such a man, stuck in a rickshaw yard, is a waste!
Hearing Xiangzi, Master Liu said nothing, only instructing, “Liu Tang, the ore route’s yours from now on.”
Liu Tang blinked, then clasped his fists. “Whatever Fourth Master says, I, Liu Tang, will do.”
Master Liu’s cloudy gaze fell on Liu Hu. “Hu, what do you think?”
Liu Hu looked up, his face showing no discontent, even smiling. “Little Tang’s young, skilled, perfect for the ore route now.”
Master Liu grunted, tapping the table—
Everyone knew: meeting adjourned.
Each left with their own thoughts, leaving the vast courtyard to father and daughter.
In the dim candlelight, their faces were somber.
Master Liu stared into the dark beyond the yard, recalling his sons’ subtle struggles, a weary glint in his cloudy eyes.
He was old, and these children he’d raised had grown.
Somehow, this old lean tiger, who’d dominated South District for decades, thought of that unassuming giant.
Who’d have thought, in mere months, the fool he’d grudgingly made a second-class puller would rise so far?
By merit, Xiangzi deserved the top credit today.
Yet this giant showed no hint of seeking praise, his words ever more cautious.
Such steady-as-a-mountain composure stirred ripples in even Master Liu—
And a touch of wariness.
Back when the Great Shun Dynasty stood, Master Liu heard a county lord say:
One who hides their depths and reveals nothing harbors grand ambitions.
Pity Harmony Rickshaw Yard’s small plot couldn’t hold a soaring swan!
Master Liu sighed, his wrinkled face showing rare sentiment.
“Hu, what’s this Xiangzi scheming?”